‘20 Tons of Songpa-gu Fallen Leaves Moved to Nami Island... Offering Golden Autumn Scenery and Eco-Friendly Compost...’

Songpa-gu to Export 20 Tons of Ginkgo Leaves on 15th for Nami Island Tourism Resource... 19th Year This Year
600 Tons Provided Free to Farms... 98% Recycling Rate of Generated Leaves → 120 Million KRW Cost Savings

On the 15th, 20 tons of ginkgo leaves from Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) will head to Nami Island in Chuncheon City, coloring the ‘Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road’ on Nami Island yellow.

The special connection between the two regions, which began in 2006, marks its 19th year this year. Every autumn, Songpa-gu has collected 20 tons of ginkgo leaves from across the district and spread them on Nami Island to create the ‘Songpa Ginkgo Tree Road.’ This is why visitors can step on bright yellow ginkgo leaves on Nami Island even at the end of November, where the temperature drops early and the autumn leaves fall sooner.

As a result, Songpa-gu has been able to dispose of fallen leaves at only about 10% of the cost of incineration, covering just the transportation expenses, while Nami Island has been able to attract visitors for a longer period during the off-season by using the ginkgo leaves supplied by the district. This ingenious idea has created a win-win effect beneficial to both sides.

In addition, the district provides about 600 tons of fallen leaves generated annually free of charge to farms in the metropolitan area. These leaves are mainly sent to eco-friendly farms in the Gyeonggi and Gangwon regions, where they are used as insulation to prevent cold damage to specialty crops or as eco-friendly compost.

In fact, the district’s cost savings and recycling volume have increased every year. The savings, which were 42 million KRW in 2012, more than doubled to exceed 100 million KRW in 2019.

This year, the district aims to recycle 670 tons, which is 98% of the expected fallen leaves, and plans to save 120 million KRW in leaf disposal costs.

On the early morning of the 15th, environmental officers will load the cleanly sorted ginkgo leaves from Songpa-gu onto vehicles and transport them to Nami Island. In this way, fallen leaves, once treated as worthless, have become essential items for Nami Island and organic farms.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “Achieving urban-rural coexistence and budget savings through something as trivial as fallen leaves was possible because of the public officials’ creativity and innovative mindset aimed at public interest,” adding, “We will continue to strive to raise residents’ pride and discover ideas that consider the environment and resources.”